


I Adore You

by headofmarimo



Category: Persona 5
Genre: Ahhhh writing these boys in fluffy situations is my lifeblood, Awkward boys loving each other, Birthday, Birthday Party, F/F, First Dates, Fluff, Kissing, M/M, Marriage, Marriage Proposal, More tags to be added when I feel like it, Weddings, along with other more lascivious scenarios
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-07-01
Updated: 2018-07-05
Packaged: 2019-05-31 14:48:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 4,924
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15121733
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/headofmarimo/pseuds/headofmarimo
Summary: A series of fics dedicated to Pegoryu week!Each day is a different prompt, so expect a daily update!





	1. May Flowers

**Author's Note:**

> Day 1:  
> It was a beautiful day to have a wedding outside.  
> While attending Shiho and Ann's wedding, Akira confesses the concerns he has with his own proposal.

An eruption of applause sounded throughout the air after the newly married couple finished their vows. 

From the front row, Akira watched with a smile as Ann placed her hand on Shiho’s cheek and pulled her in for a kiss, the large bouquet of flowers she held in her other hand centered between them.

“Eff man, it’s about time…” muttered Ryuji. Akira heard a sniffle and turned his head to see Ryuji wiping at his eyes.

“Are you crying?”

“Shut up! I’m just happy for them, is all,” sobbed Ryuji, taking out a handkerchief from the breast pocket of his tuxedo and blowing his nose into it. Akira sighed and patted him consolingly on the back when a soft object bouncing off his lap caused him to jolt. The bouquet had fallen directly to him, and he looked up to see Ann smiling at him before she turned away with a wink.

“What does she expect me to do with this?” mused Akira. He handed the bouquet to Ryuji. “Here, I don’t want to carry this around all day.”

“Aw what, neither do I! Give it to Yusuke, I’m sure he’ll like it.” protested Ryuji as he tried to push it away.

“True,” he stood up and tossed it into the row behind him where Yusuke was seated. “Hey Yusuke, catch!”

“Oh? Are you alright with giving this away?” asked Yusuke as he inspected the various flowers wrapped inside.

“Of course. You’ll probably appreciate it more than I will.” said Akira. He turned around when Ryuji nudged his shoulder to indicate that the rest of the guests were standing up to leave, and they followed the crowd to the picnic shelter, Yusuke in front of them waving the bouquet above his head and scolding Futaba while she tried to snatch it away.

Although Shiho had never been a Phantom Thief, she got along just fine with everyone else seated at the table. She was casually chatting with Makoto about their exercise routines while Akira struck up a conversation with Ann.

“Congrats again, Ann. I was pretty excited when I got the invitation, although Morgana wouldn’t stop moping after he found out.”

“Hey, I was _not_ moping!” hissed Morgana from the other side; he was poking his head out from the bag Akira had placed in the seat right next to him. Akira stowed him away in his messenger bag to avoid drawing as much attention as possible, but he still caught some odd stares for carrying around such a sizeable bag during a wedding.

Ann giggled and took another sip of champagne. “I’m just glad everyone managed to come. It feels like it’s been ages since we were all together like this.” she let out a wistful sigh and smiled cheekily at Akira. “So, how have you been Akira? Any progress with Ryuji?”

“What do you mean?” asked Akira before taking another bite of his food.

“I mean when are you going to propose to him? I figured you could’ve used my bouquet as reference for your own wedding,”

Akira almost choked on his herring roe. He spluttered and covered his mouth to prevent himself from spewing food everywhere before hastily gulping down his drink. After he stopped coughing, Akira whipped his head around to see that Ryuji was engaged in a heated discussion with Futaba a few seats down, so most likely he hadn’t heard anything.

“Not so loud!” hissed Akira, causing Ann to roll her eyes in return.

“I think you attracted more attention with your coughing fit, Akira. And besides, it wouldn’t really be a huge surprise to anyone here. You two have been going out for how many years?”

Akira sighed and smoothed a hand over his carefully slicked-back hair. “Believe me, I’ve been thinking about it, but… I don’t know, I’m afraid that might be rushing things.” muttered Akira.

Ann scoffed. “Holy _crap_ , Akira. With that attitude you’re gonna be saying the same thing eighty years later.”

“That ring you bought has just been sitting there and collecting dust. I really expected you to be a bigger man about it, Akira.” added Morgana disapprovingly.

Akira stuffed Morgana’s head back into the bag and zipped it up, his muffled protests heard from inside as he pawed at the sides.

“Well anyways, I’d say just go for it already Akira. Even though it’s nerve-wracking, if you think about it there’s no way he’d turn you down,” consoled Ann.

“I know, I know, but I can’t help but think about the chance he might,” mumbled Akira. “It’s stupid,”

“Hey, I get it. I remember when I proposed to Shiho. It didn’t make sense, but I was still really scared that she might turn me down,” her gaze drifted to Shiho as she spoke, watching with a smile as Shiho burst out laughing at something Makoto had said. “But look at us now. I’ll always be glad that I carried it through.” she looked back at Akira. “Have you talked to him about it at all?”

“Well, not exactly. I kinda bring it up here and there, but I change the subject pretty quickly,” muttered Akira.

“Wait, you’re not sure if he wants to, and you already bought the ring?”

Akira didn’t answer and took another sip of his champagne.

“Jesus, Akira, you’re a mess. What happened to Mister Cool Confident Leader of the Phantom Thieves?” scolded Ann.

“Well Mister Cool Confident Leader of the Phantom Thieves would much prefer raiding a Palace over sorting out his love life,” groaned Akira as he buried his face in his hands.

Ann grasped his shoulder. “Akira. When you have the chance. Go. Talk. To him. Have a proper discussion like grown adults and sort it out. The worst thing that can happen is he’ll say he’s not interested, and you have a ring you need to return. You can still return it, right?”  
Akira nodded his head, and Ann patted his shoulder before standing up. “Good. Now then, I think it’s time me and Shiho cut the cake.”

Shiho stood up as well, and Akira took the moment to unzip the bag, Morgana popping his head forward and gasping for air.

“You didn’t leave a big enough opening! I was practically suffocating in there,” whined Morgana.

“My bad,” said Akira absentmindedly. He made eye contact with Ryuji as they stood up with everyone else, and he gave a quick smile before turning away. They had been dating since college, but even so, the thought of trying to take things a step further was almost as frightening as it was exhilarating.

Shiho waited for everyone to gather around before taking the knife in hand to cut the first slice of the wedding cake. A few seconds later and she presented the slice to Ann, who graciously thanked her for it before promptly taking a handful and smearing it across Shiho’s face. Shiho laughed delightedly in return, wiping the frosting from her face and smearing it on Ann’s cheek. Laughing together, frosting smeared across their faces, Akira couldn’t think of a time when the two looked happier, and he couldn’t help but smile again at the sight of it. Ann gave a quick kiss before letting Shiho cut up the rest of the cake, and after Shiho finished there was another round of applause to signify the end of the wedding.

* * *

 

The trip back home was unusually quiet. Akira occasionally glanced at Ryuji in the passenger seat, and he took a moment to piece his thoughts together before clearing his throat.

“So um, Ryuji.” started Akira.                                                                                    

Ryuji turned his head away from the window. “What’s up?”

“I was, er, wondering. Would you ever, uh, consider getting… married in the future?” asked Akira, his finger tapping rhythmically against the steering wheel. “You know, I get that it’s not for everyone, so it’s completely fine if you aren’t interested but… just curious…” he trailed off, silently cursing himself for stumbling over his words.

“Oh! Uh…” The tips of Ryuji’s ears were turning red. “Um, I mean, if… if the other person was cool with it, then, I guess I could— I mean, I’d like to… get married,” he mumbled, rubbing the back of his neck with his hand.

Akira heard Morgana groan in the back seat, clearly upset over their lack of conviction.

“Yeah, alright, that’s uh, great,” quavered Akira. He cleared his throat again, staring straight ahead at the road.

“Hey,”

“Yeah?”

“Do you… wanna get married?” asked Ryuji slowly.

Akira tightened his grip on the steering wheel. “Um, yeah actually. So… if you’d like, we could— I mean…”

Ryuji’s cheeks were flushed pink. “Oh um, yeah, totally! I’d—er—I’d really… that’d be, awesome…”

He couldn’t believe it. Akira let out a deep sigh, unable to restrain a chuckle from breaking through. “Oh jeez, listen to us,” They approached a stoplight, and he leaned over to give Ryuji a quick kiss, still smiling gently as Ryuji slowly broke into a grin and gave a relieved chuckle in return.

“We sound like a pair of effin’ grade schoolers,” sighed Ryuji. “What the hell is up with that?”

“We’re both just idiots, I guess. But anyways, when we arrive home I’ve got something for you. Been meaning to give it to you for a while now actually,” beamed Akira. The heavy weight in his stomach was finally gone, and Akira felt simply ecstatic.

“Can hardly wait,” replied Ryuji with a smirk.

That night Akira finally took the box out from its hiding place underneath the drawer, and Ryuji tackled him to the ground with an excited laugh once he presented what was inside, knocking the box out from his hand.

He said yes after they found the ring again.


	2. Take Your Time

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When Akira asks Ryuji out on a date, Ryuji tries his best to make sure they have a good time.  
> Things don't go exactly as he planned.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (Day 2: First date  
> Hey yo! Hope you enjoy reading!

“Hey,”

“Hey,” Ryuji cleared his throat and tapped the front of his shoe against the sidewalk. “Um, good to see you again dude,”

Akira smiled. “Good to see you too. So what do you wanna do first? We’ve got time before the movie starts.”

“Well, uh, if you want, I was thinking we could grab a bite to eat at... Big Bang Burger.” muttered Ryuji, heat pricking the back of his neck that had little to do with the summer sun. He had considered Ogikubo at first, but the wait would be far too long, and Ryuji didn’t exactly have the money to pay for somewhere as nice as the buffet again.

He half-expected Akira to scoff or express some sort of disappointment, but Akira simply nodded and readjusted the strap of his bag. Damn it, Morgana was probably in there listening; talk about a mood-killer. Ryuji could only hope that the cat wouldn’t talk shit about the date once they went back to Leblanc.

“Wanna go now?”

“Oh, uh, yeah. Sure.”

 _Damn it_ , out of all the places he could have picked. It certainly didn’t feel like a date as they sat in the booth and ate their food; if anything, it just felt like any other time they hung out except with an odd tension weighing in the air. While they were talking, Ryuji couldn’t help but judge every little thing he did, wondering if his own laugh was just a little too loud or if the way he slumped against the seat gave off the impression that he wasn’t interested in their discussion. He continued to fidget in his seat, slightly shifting his weight side to side, and finally Akira paused to stare at him.

“Hm, what’s wrong Akira?” he asked nervously. Shit, did he mess up?

“Ryuji, you need to relax,” stated Akira. He leaned forward and pressed his hands down on Ryuji’s taut shoulders, forcing them to loosen back to their natural position. “Don’t think of this as any different from when we normally hang out,”

“What? I’m relaxed! I’m just, uh… really looking forward to the movie, is all!”  protested Ryuji while silently cursing himself. He needed to show that he could handle something like this, not turn into an anxious mess while Akira stayed calm and collected.

Akira withdrew his hands and took another sip of his soda, eyeing him contemplatively. Ryuji felt his face starting to heat up underneath his stare, and he hastily ate up the rest of his burger before suddenly standing up. “A-anyways! We should head for the theater now that we’re done eatin’!”

“Uh, the movie doesn’t start until thirty minutes. I figured we could just stay here and talk, but…” Akira trailed off as Ryuji threw away his wrappers.

Ryuji paused and smiled. “Yeah, sure! That’s cool too! But I was thinkin’ we could just talk at the theater, you know?” That was a complete lie. He simply hadn’t kept track of time and was now purely acting on impulse in a desperate attempt to keep Akira occupied.

Ryuji prayed that things would start looking up.

* * *

 

Thankfully, Akira seemed to be enjoying the movie Ryuji had picked, but at the same time Ryuji wasn’t sure what to do with his hands while they were watching.

He slowly inched towards Akira’s hand resting on the armrest only to shrink away again, repeating the motion several times until Akira shifted the popcorn bin towards his direction.

“Do you want some?” whispered Akira.

Ryuji sighed and reached into the bin, sullenly munching on the popcorn as he watched the movie’s protagonist make out with his girlfriend.

Oh screw it. He quickly grabbed Akira’s hand while it reached into the bin, knocking his elbow against the armrest and causing the bin to fall to the floor with a dull thud.

Popcorn spilled across the row, and the people sitting next to him looked directly at Ryuji and Akira while their hands were still locked together.

Ryuji sat there, completely frozen, and eventually he had enough sense to yank himself away to pick up the scattered popcorn, silently scooping it back into the bin and slamming it back onto the armrest.

He didn’t try to hold Akira’s hand again for the rest of the movie.

* * *

 

“Ryuji,”

He couldn’t even bring himself to look Akira in the eye, “yeah. I’m here,” he mumbled.

They had finally made it to the end of the day. The last destination for their date was the amusement park, and Akira had to wait on one of the benches while Ryuji puked his guts out into a trash can after riding one rollercoaster too many. Nighttime was setting in, so they both agreed to ride the Ferris wheel before heading out.

Now they were sitting in the passenger car as the Ferris wheel slowly lifted them to the top, Ryuji hunched over without a shred of dignity left

It was official: he had completely ruined the date.

He could feel Akira’s leg brushing against his. “What’s wrong?”

“Oh, I don’t know, maybe it’s the fact that I just took you on the shittiest damn date ever!’ snapped Ryuji while he straightened himself up so that his back leaned on the glass wall of the car. He let out a heavy sigh and scrubbed his hand through his hair. “Sorry, I wanted you to enjoy this, but I screwed it up so badly.”

“But you didn’t screw up,” protested Akira. Ryuji jolted and turned to see Akira’s fingers brushing over his. “Look, Ryuji. When I asked you out on a date, it wasn’t because I wanted you to start acting differently around me.” Akira was gradually leaning towards him. “I want to be more than friends with you, and normally when people like that get together it’s called a date, not ‘hanging out’.” He gave a small smile. “So… um, just keep doing whatever feels right to you. I mean I like you for who you are, Ryuji, nothing else.”

“Keep doing whatever feels right?” repeated Ryuji. Akira’s face was barely inches apart from his. “Um… alright, then, well…”

Ryuji let his mind go blank as he pulled Akira in for a kiss, screwing his eyes shut and lacing their fingers together.

Akira eagerly kissed back, and for the next few moments Ryuji couldn’t think of anywhere else he wanted to be.

They broke apart and stared at each other for a few moments until the sound of a distant boom made them look up to see a brilliant burst of colorful fireworks illuminating the night sky.

“Heh, it’s pretty,” remarked Akira as he turned to watch the rest of the display.

Ryuji stared at the burst of dazzling colors reflected in Akira’s glasses, grasping Akira’s hand just a little tighter. “Yeah…”

“I’m glad we did this, Ryuji.” murmured Akira.

“Me too.”

* * *

 

Morgana was already resting on his bed by the time Akira got home. He cracked a luminous blue eye open and yawned, ears twitching.

“So how’d it go?” asked Morgana while Akira tossed his bag onto the work bench.

Akira smiled in return. “Best date I’ve ever been on.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Akira brought his bag out of habit, but by the time he realized he was already at the station. ;3  
> Thanks for reading! Day 3 is Ryuji's Birthday)


	3. A Touch of Sweetness

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Several years after Akira's parole, the Phantom Thieves decide to throw Ryuji a surprise party for his birthday.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (This fluff train has no stops ;3  
> hope you enjoy reading!)

Ryuji woke up to see that he was alone in bed. He took a deep breath as he leisurely stretched his stiff limbs, perking up at the smell of something delicious wafting through the open door. As the murky haze of sleep gradually lifted from his mind, he slowly sat up to see Akira peeking into the doorway before quickly vanishing out of sight.

Just what was he up to?

A few moments later and Ryuji could hear footsteps approaching with the sound of clinking glass. Akira reappeared again, a warm smile tugging the corner of his mouth as he held a large tray.

“Morning babe,” greeted Akira.

“Mm, mornin’,” mumbled Ryuji as Akira settled the tray beside him. Looking down he could see that Akira had prepared an entire breakfast: grilled salmon, slices of toast, and a glass of orange juice were neatly placed on the tray, and Ryuji couldn’t seem to do anything else than smile at the sight, rubbing his hand against his cheek in embarrassment.

“Woah, what’s all this for?” he asked, chuckling when Akira ran a hand through his mussed-up hair and kissed his cheek.

“Figured breakfast in bed would be a good way to start off your birthday,” replied Akira. “I considered making curry instead since I’m good at it, but…”

Oh right, it was his birthday today. It seemed like the older he got the less important it felt to him. Just another number checked off the calendar. Ryuji snorted and picked up the chopsticks, pulling apart a bit of salmon and holding the piece up to Akira’s lips. “Here, taste test it for me. See if it’s poisoned or not,” he teased.

Akira smirked and ate up the salmon. “Not too shabby, if I do say so myself,” he stated proudly.

“Good, then help me finish this. I’m guessing you haven’t eaten yet?” asked Ryuji as he took another piece and ate it. Oh, it actually tasted pretty good.

“Thought you’d never ask,” answered Akira as he picked up another pair of chopsticks tucked beneath the plate of toast. Ryuji rolled his eyes, and they finished up the rest of the food together while talking about whatever came to mind.

“So Ryuji,” started Akira as he picked up the tray of emptied plates. “I was thinking we could go to Leblanc for dinner after work. How’s that sound?”

“Sure,”

“Great,” Akira smiled and gave him one last kiss before walking out the door. “Well, I’ll clean this up and head out. Bye Ryuji.”

 Ryuji waved his hand and slowly pushed himself off the bed, stifling another yawn. “See ya Akira,”

* * *

 

For a moment Ryuji found himself staring into an empty, dark café.

Suddenly the lights were turned on, and Ryuji almost stumbled backwards when he heard a loud bang followed by a burst of confetti fluttering in front of his face.

“Happy birthday Ryuji!” a chorus of voices greeted him as several people emerged from the booths and behind the counter. Futaba grinned, used party popper in hand as she scurried away to join Yusuke in one of the booths.

“Took you long enough. It felt like we were waiting here for hours!” complained Futaba.

Ryuji’s eyes adjusted to the sudden brightness, and looking around he could see colorful balloons and streamers tied to the counter chairs.

“I hope the decorations are to your liking. Yusuke spent the whole time telling us how to put them up.” chuckled Makoto.

“It was difficult work, but I believe it was worth it in the end.” murmured Yusuke as he inspected  the streamers.

Ryuji stood there, completely frozen as he tried to process everything that was happening. They did all of this for him?  
“I… can’t believe it. I mean, it’s just… thanks guys,” mumbled Ryuji.

“You better believe it kid,” stated Sojiro with a smirk. “Now hurry up and have a seat. You all must be pretty hungry by now.”

It felt nostalgic to be sitting with all of his friends again, happily chatting away and eating in Leblanc like they were all still teenagers. At one point Futaba grabbed the scissors they had used to cut streamers and pierced a hole in one of the balloons.

She creased the opening and inhaled the leaking helium. “This is the only fun thing you can do with balloons.” said Futaba. Her voice had been raised at least three octaves higher, and Haru covered her mouth to stifle a giggle.

Futaba took another mouthful before presenting the balloon to Yusuke. “Here Inari, you have the deepest voice out of all of us,” squeaked Futaba.

Yusuke scoffed and turned his head to the side. “How immature. I’d rather not, thank you,” he muttered.

“Pleeaase?” begged Futaba in her high-pitched voice, and the other Phantom Thieves could only look on with amusement.

“Come on, Yusuke. Just a little won’t hurt,” pleaded Ann.

Yusuke sighed. “Very well. Give me the balloon.” He took the balloon from Futaba and hesitated before breathing in through the opening. “Are you satisfied now?” asked Yusuke in a now-squeaky voice as he pulled the balloon away. Ryuji almost choked on his curry when he heard it, and the others broke into laughter, Yusuke’s brows furrowing together when he heard his own voice and a pink tint staining his pale cheeks. He coughed and handed the balloon back to Futaba, who passed it to Makoto in an attempt to convince her to try it as well.

Ryuji smiled, silently watching as the girls laughed when Haru took up the balloon instead. He was jolted back to alertness when he felt Akira place a hand on his shoulder.

“You doing alright?” asked Akira.

“Yeah, more than alright. It’s just… I’ve missed this, I guess. It’s been a while.” answered Ryuji.

Akira nodded his head. “Yeah, me too,”

After everyone finished eating they moved on to cake, and one very cheesy Happy Birthday song later Ryuji blew out the candles, smiling when he was given a round of applause in return. “Heh, you guys really are the best,” he chuckled.

“Tell us something we don’t know,” joked Ann.

The rest of the evening seemed to fly by, and Ryuji cheerfully exchanged farewells before walking with Akira out the door, both of them carrying bags of presents on each arm.

Once they returned home he made sure to make a video call with his mom.

“Hey mom,” greeted Ryuji. He was sitting alone at the kitchen table, Akira already in the bedroom.

“Hey sweetie. Happy birthday,” she said with a warm smile on her face. “So how was your special day?”

“It was great, actually. Akira made me breakfast and my friends threw me a party. How are you doing on your own?”

“I’m doing fine, baby. I’m just glad Akira is taking good care of you in my place,”

Ryuji flushed at that. “Mom!”

His mother gave out a soft chuckle. “Sorry, sorry.”

He talked with her a little longer before finally ending the call, and when he went into the bedroom he found the bed completely empty.

“Akira?”

A pair of hands wrapped around his waist from behind, soft curls tickling his neck as Akira nuzzled his face into his shoulder.

“I’ve got one more present for you,” purred Akira while his hands slid up to Ryuji’s chest

Ryuji smiled and gave a breathy sigh in return, allowing Akira to push him onto the mattress.

“Can’t wait to see what it is,” he murmured.

His wrists were pinned down as he let Akira take control, sparks sizzling in his brain with each kiss.

It was a good way to end an already fantastic day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (Thanks for reading! Day 4 is rivalry!)


	4. Fire and the Flood

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (A very late day four... sorry....  
> A friendly competition ends up turning into something a little more deadly)

On most days, Ryuji loved the exhilarating rush that pumped through his veins whenever he teamed up with Akira.

It was like clockwork when they fought together, each attack transitioning seamlessly to the next as they took down one Shadow after another. They were inseparable, they were unstoppable.

But then there were other days. Days when the two of them wanted to push each other to the limit, fiercely competing for the bigger number in who could finish off the most Shadows.

Akira had a higher win rate, as much as Ryuji hated to admit it, but then again, Ryuji didn’t have a multitude of Personas at his disposal, either.

“That’s cheating,” complained Ryuji while Akira finished off a Shadow with Jack Frost.  
Akira smirked and slightly adjusted his mask, the same habit Ryuji noticed he had with his glasses. “Never said I couldn’t use a different Persona,” replied Akira.

“Well fine then, new rule,” said Ryuji as they continued walking around the first level of Mementos; they didn’t want to stray too far from the entrance since Morgana wasn’t with them, not to mention the Shadows were significantly weaker, so it wasn’t as dangerous. “If I can only use Captain Kidd, then you’re only allowed to use Arsene from now on. It’s only fair.”

Akira sighed and rolled his eyes. “ _Fine_. Just don’t complain if I still end up winning,” he teased.

Ryuji punched him in the arm, causing Akira to snicker as he rubbed at the sore spot.

Ryuji heard a soft squelch and held up a finger to silence Akira. They hid behind the corner of the tunnel and noticed two Shadows on both sides walking towards the corner.

“One for each of us,” remarked Akira.

“Not if I kill them both,” challenged Ryuji.

Akira grinned at that. “Oh, you’re on,”

The Shadow from the left side was the quicker one, and Ryuji made the first move by swinging his pipe into the Shadow’s back, causing it to buckle to the ground. Akira followed suit after that, lunging at the Shadow from the right side and stabbing it deep in the chest. The Shadow let out a ghastly shriek at the attack, and Akira nimbly leapt away, back-to-back with Ryuji as they faced on the Shadows from both sides.

“Let’s go, Captain Kidd!” roared Ryuji, and the smell of ozone filled the air when his Persona shot a burst of lightning at the Shadow. It fell to the ground as a twitching mass, completely paralyzed. “Alright!” cheered Ryuji. He took the opportunity to land the finishing blow, slamming his pipe into the Shadow’s head and causing it to disintegrate into ash.

Ryuji stood back up, completely satisfied with his victory until…

“Shit!”

He heard Akira curse and whipped his head around to see Akira struggling to get up from the ground while the Shadow loomed over him.

“Damn it!” hissed Akira, clutching his side. His knife was lying on the floor several feet away, and Ryuji didn’t have time to think as he charged wildly at the Shadow,  intercepting it and bashing his weapon against the Shadow’s side before leaping away to allow Kidd the chance the shoot another round of lightning. Although the Shadow was definitely hurt, the electricity didn’t seem to affect it as much as it did the first one, and Ryuji grunted in pain as a clawed hand swiped heavily against his head, knocking him to the ground. The tunnel slightly spun and he tasted blood in his mouth, but he forced himself to get up again, mustering up the energy to launch another crack of electricity before landing another blow with a yell, praying that it would be enough to kill the Shadow.

It worked, and the demon finally fell into a pile of black ashes.

“Heh… serves you right, asshole,” muttered Ryuji before collapsing to the ground.

“Ryuji!”

He felt Akira sling his arm around his shoulder and hoist him back up.

“Hey man… you okay?” slurred Ryuji, his head still spinning from earlier. He could feel something warm dribbling down the side of his temple.

“I’m fine. The Shadow was resistant to all of Arsene’s abilities, so I couldn’t do anything… but more importantly, we need to get you fixed up!” They stumbled down the tunnels together, Akira occasionally shoving them against the wall whenever a Shadow passed by. Ryuji distantly wondered if he could even hold out any longer; the edges of his vision were getting fuzzier with each passing moment.

Finally they made it to the entrance, and Akira wasted no time summoning a different persona to heal Ryuji’s injuries.

“Damn, that feels so much better,” sighed Ryuji as he wiped away the excess blood from the closed-up wound on his head. “So,” he smiled mischievously at Akira’s worried expression. “Does that mean I win this time?”

Akira glared at him. “Asshole,” he muttered, pulling Ryuji into a tight embrace that almost choked him. “Of course it does.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (Thanks for reading! This might be all I do for pegoryu week, so I hope you had as much as I did with this series!)

**Author's Note:**

> (Aaand that's the end of day 1! Next day is first date, thanks for reading!)


End file.
